Thoughts of an Ace Attorney
by Slytherin - Fanatic 911
Summary: Series of short pieces from throughout the series, each written in a different style. Mainly features Phoenix but has guest appearances from other characters.
1. Silence

**Silence**

The phone rang throughout the empty office causing Nick to look up from the newspaper he was reading. He stepped carefully over the various piles of junk that were littered throughout the room to reach the desk. He then sat down and picked up the phone, saying, "Wright Talent Agency."

"Nick, it's me, Maya," a voice said.

"Maya, it's good to hear from you again. How long has it been this time? A few months?"

"Has it? Wow, you really lose track of time up here."

"It's not too surprising. You have a lot of responsibilities now. Anyway, what were you calling for?"

"I just wanted to catch up, of course! How are you?"

"As well as I can be. What about you?"

Maya hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm fine, of course. I have a lot of new responsibilities now that I've taken over but I'm adjusting pretty well."

"That's good. When are you next coming to visit?"

"I dunno. It might be a while. Hopefully within the next few months. I don't want you to get too lonely without me!"

"I won't be lonely."

"Yes, you will. Don't lie to me… It's why you drink all that 'Grape Juice'."

Nick glanced over to the side of the room and saw the two green bottles he had been drinking from last night. He smiled and replied, "I can drink what I want, Maya. It's nothing new for me to have a few drinks before bed."

"But you've drinking more ever since-"

"Maya. I'm fine."

Maya remained silent.

"Alright," she finally said. "I'll come visit as soon as I can. I bet little Trucy misses me anyway."

"Yeah. She says she has some new tricks she wants to show you."

"I can't wait," Maya said. Nick heard faint yelling from her end of the phone before she continued, "I have to go. I have to get back work. I'll talk later."

"Okay, bye Maya."

"Bye."

Nick waited until he heard the dial tone before hanging up. He stood up and walked over to where he was sitting before and picked up his newspaper. He then began to read the article about a disbarred lawyer, a sad smile on his face.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** So this is a bit different to what I've written before. I actually wrote it as part of an assignment that I did for Uni at the beginning of this year. We had to write a series of short pieces that fit a theme/writing style. This first week was silence and I believe I did a good job of it. By silence I of course mean that a lot of information was left out. I won't actually say anything about what's going in this piece 'cause that would defeat the purpose. Instead, I'll just leave it to you guys to interpret.

If you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it. This was my first time writing for Ace Attorney and I wouldn't mind knowing what you think.

 **Important:** There are six more of these short pieces that I wrote for Uni, each with a different style. I'll probably be uploading the rest weekly, so keep an eye out!


	2. Background

**Background**

Nick smiled as he watched Pearls move around the office. She was wearing an apron, gloves and had a mask on, with a feather duster in one hand and a vacuum cleaner trailing behind her. She had come down for the weekend to see Nick and, upon the request of Maya, clean the office.

'Junk', as Pearls had called it, was covering nearly every surface. Nick tried to reason with her, saying that it would just become messy again after she left but she was resolute. He sighed and looked over to the various packs of playing cards that were on top of the piano. Ultimately, a lot of the mess was Trucy's fault. She would leave all kinds items that she was practicing magic on around the place and never bothered to pick them up.

Pearls reached Nick's bookshelves that were filled to the brim with his old casefiles. She started to dust over them but soon stopped. She placed down the vacuum cleaner and duster, pulled out a file and started to flip through it.

"I remember this," she said. "The case where we first met."

"I'd be surprised if you forgot," Nick replied. He leant forward and poured himself a glass of wine from the bottle that was nearby. He emptied the bottle and placed it with the three others that were sitting on the table.

Pearls glanced over to the Nick at that moment and frowned. "I'm trying to clean the place. The least you could do is to place rubbish in the bin."

Nick smiled and drink a sip of his wine.

Pearls sighed and closed the file. She placed it back onto the self and picked up the duster once more. She dusted the shelves slowly, reading the case numbers of each file, smiling occasionally. She eventually got to the end but stopped when she knocked a small gold pin onto the floor.

"Oh, sorry," she said, bending over to pick it up. She paused when she actually saw the pin and a sad look overcame her face.

"You can throw that out if you want."

Pearls looked at Nick for a moment before turning around and placing it on the shelf again. She then proceeded to start cleaning once more, a frown on her face.

Nick pulled his hand-knit beanie down over his eyes. Maya's words echoed in his head, telling him that he was being ridiculous but he ignored them. He loved both Pearls and Maya, but they didn't know how he felt. Being disbarred… He couldn't just move on like they kept telling him. The only thing that probably stopped himself from becoming a full-fledged alcoholic was Trucy.

Nick looked over to Pearls, who was now vacuuming the floor. "Thanks for doing this, Pearls."

"Oh, it's no problem," she said, smiling briefly at him.

Nick took another sip of his wine, his eyes drifting over to the bookshelf with his old case files. It hurt to think about the past sometimes but if he went back, he knew he wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** So this scene was about background. We had to show a character's room in their house or office and show small details that would reveal the person's past. I think I successfully did this here.

Before anyone says anything about Nick's lawyer badge, I know very well that it was taken off him when he was disbarred but bear in mind, this was written for an audience who doesn't know anything about AA and wouldn't care. So please forgive me there.

Anywho, once again, let me know what you think it and I'll see in the next piece!


	3. Dialogue

**Dialogue**

Miles stepped into the office and looked around, a look of disgust on his face. It was filthy, though he should've expected it to be so. There were piles of miscellaneous junk spread out throughout the room, most of it to do with magic, thanks to Trucy. The rest was just folders and papers from all the cases that Apollo and Athena were taking on. He sighed and stepped carefully around the mess, making his way over to the thankfully clean couch.

Nick stepped into the office a few seconds later and walked over to the couch as well. He sat down next to Miles and grinned.

"It's kind of weird to see you here, y'know?" Nick said, leaning back. "I'm used to seeing you either in that fancy office of yours or at the court house."

"Yes, well I had something I wanted to discuss with you," Miles replied, glaring around at the messy office.

"Oh?"

Miles took one last look at the office before facing Nick and saying, "I want you to retake the bar exam."

Nick's eyes widened for a moment. He then laughed and said, "That's ridiculous. Why would I do that?"

"To become a lawyer, of course."

"But _why_?"

"Why not? Your name's been cleared after all."

"There's not really any reason for me to."

"On the contrary, there's no reason _not_ to retake the exam."

"I don't want to."

"That's preposterous. It was your dream to become a lawyer."

"Not anymore."

"I don't believe you."

"Well it's true."

Miles glared at Nick. He knew that convincing Nick to retake the exam was going to take some effort but it was outrageous to hear that he had given up on his dream that easily.

"I won't take no for an answer," Miles said.

"There's really no need for me to retake the exam."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Well, Apollo and Athena are doing fine without me around."

"That doesn't mean you can't become a lawyer again."

"The agency's holding up fine with them and Trucy."

"The money you could bring in from cases could go a long a way around here."

"And I already have a job at the bar. My piano gig isn't the best paying but that doesn't matter."

"Becoming a lawyer again would help improve other's opinions of you."

"I don't care what others think."

"Of course you do. Everyone does."

"I'm serious, Edgeworth. I don't care what others think and I don't want to become a lawyer again. Apollo and Athena would probably think that I'm trying to overshadow them or something like that."

Despite all the reasons that Nick was giving, Miles didn't believe any of them. He definitely didn't. To him, it sounded as if Nick was avoiding the truth of why he didn't want to retake the exam. Miles would drag the truth out of him though, it if was the last thing he did. Because, despite what Nick thought, he needed to become a lawyer again.

"Wright," Miles said, making sure he was directly staring at the other man. "Tell me exactly why you don't want to retake the exam."

"I told you already."

"And I don't believe that was the truth. They are reasons but not why you are truly against it."

Nick stared at Miles for a few moments before sighing and saying, "You really want the truth?"

"Yes."

There was another moment of silence before Nick smiled sadly and said, "I'm scared."

Miles didn't react to this statement. He remained silent and waited for Nick to continue.

"What happened eight years ago isn't something that I can just get over. Becoming a lawyer was my dream for so long and to have it all ripped away from me in a moment because of a piece of paper…"

"I… understand. However, that's exactly why you should retake the exam."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes. Please, just think over it."

Nick looked down to his hands before smiling and saying, "I think I will. Thanks, Edgeworth."

Miles nodded and stood up.

"I'll leave you to it then," he said before walking out of the office. He hoped that Nick would make the right decision.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** Well, here's the third piece I had to write. In this one we had to write a conversation between two people, where one person wanted something from the other and the other person resisted giving it. I actually got a really good mark on this one.

Anyway, let me know what you think of it and I'll see you next week.


	4. Metaphor

**Metaphor**

Nick sat on the couch in his office, flipping through one of his notes on his most recent case. Every surface of the office was covered in either files or some sort of magic trick. There were empty food containers sitting on the desks next to piles of notes on a case that someone was working on.

Apollo rushed into the office, asking where the autopsy report for his latest case was and started sorting through a precariously balanced pile of paper work near the entrance. He grabbed a folder near the bottom before running off again, only briefly mentioning that he was off to the court house. Nick smiled and wished him luck with his latest client, even though he was long gone.

A little later, Athena came storming in and sat down across from Nick. She started going on about her latest client and how uncooperative he was being. She swore that they were hiding something from her but wouldn't say what. Nick tried to comfort her as best as he could but he there was nothing he could do.

She asked what he was working on and he told her it was a case about an Orca who had supposedly attacked someone. She laughed but asked for the details anyway. It wasn't long before she got a call though from her client, asking for her to go down to the Detention Centre. She left immediately, swearing that she would get the truth this time.

Every day passed by in this manner and Nick was grateful for it.

* * *

Miles signed a report before he closed the file and placed it in his 'Out' pile. He sighed and leant back in his chair. The office around him was dark and lit only by a single desk lamp. There was a pair of plush, maroon couches a bit in front of the desk, with an antique looking coffee table placed between them.

Against one wall was a long, medium-height bookshelf. It was filled to the brim with case files that Miles had worked on in the past. The top was decorated with a tea set, a custom-made chess set and small statue of the Steel Samurai. Above the bookshelf was a frame that held a decretive maroon jacket.

The view behind was of the city. The building below him shone with lights and contrasted the dark night sky. Cars drove along the roads, resembling toys.

Miles knew that he was lucky to be working in such a beautiful office. Not many were afforded the luxuries that he had. To get to where he was though, he had to make a lot of sacrifices. Sacrifices to his social life, which was practically non-existent in the first place. Sacrifices to his good name. He knew that many people whispered about him, the 'Demon Prosecutor'.

He was proud and strong though. He overcame any obstacles that were in his way. He had long since gotten used to the life that he lived now. However… sometimes, when he worked late into the night, he realised how truly lonely he was and how much he hated it.

 **Metaphor**

Dark & light, good vs evil etc. Nick is the light side of the law, fighting for the little guys, who have no chance otherwise. Miles is dark side of the law. People presume that he would do anything to get a guilty verdict.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** So this week's theme was Metaphor. We had to write a piece that had an over-arching metaphor and as I said above, it was good v evil, light v dark etc. I don't know how well portrayed that, I think it came off more as opposites in general rather than specifically good v evil.

Fun Fact: Miles and Nick's section are almost exactly the same word length. Nick's is 260 and Miles' is 262.

Anyway, please let me know what you think and I'll see you next week!


	5. Speech Narrative Mediation

**Speech, Narrative, Mediation**

"Objection!" Nick shouted, pointing across to the prosecution. "My client has said before that she had no idea how the key to the room ended up in her pocket."

"Objection!" Miles replied, slamming his hands on the bench in front of him. "There is no other way for the key to end up in her pocket except for her to put it there after she locked the door."

"Objection! The real killer could have planted the key before they escaped!"

"Objection! The room was locked from the inside when the police arrived on the scene and there was no other way for someone to enter the room!"

Nick smirked and placed his hands on his hips. This was it. This was moment that he turned the whole trial around. All he had to do was present the evidence that he had found earlier.

Miles continued on about why exactly Joanne was the killer and repeating all the evidence they had found on the scene. There was the knife found in the defendant's bag with her finger prints on it. Oh and of course the key, also with the defendant's finger prints found on it. Plus, a witness earlier that testified about the fact that they heard the victim scream.

Once he was finished, the judge said that he had enough evidence to declare a verdict.

Nick saw him raise the gavel up and just as he was going to slam it back down again, he yelled, "Objection!"

Silence around the room and everyone turned to look at him. Nick just smirked and said, "There was another way for someone to enter and exit the room. And I have the proof right here. Take that!"

Nick held up a photo of a secret entrance that was hidden in the wardrobe. Miles recoiled in shock.

"That's impossible," he said. "The police have been over every inch of that place and never found a secret entrance. How could you-?"

"Does it matter how I found it? I think the only thing that matters here is the fact that someone who knew about the secret passage could've gone in and out of the room freely."

"And who do you suggest could've done such a thing?"

"Who? There's only answer to that question. The defence indicts the victim's best friend, Sherry Locke!"

The gallery started to whisper among themselves. Sherry, who was on the witness stand, leant forward, sweat dripping down her face. The judge banged his gavel and tried to bring order back to the court but couldn't. Eventually he was forced to adjourn the court for the day, asking both the defence and prosecution to investigate further.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** So for this task we had to write a piece that contained all the forms of speech, which are: narrative reporting of speech acts, indirect speech, free indirect speech, direct speech, and free direct speech. If you're interested in what each of them are, Google is your friend.

I actually had a lot of fun writing this. I've always loved the chemistry between Miles and Nick, especially in the courtroom. They way they banter back and forth is just so wonderful. It also reminds me a lot of the relationship between Kaiba and Yami and how they act during their Duels. But of course that crossover is for another time...

Anyway, please let me know what you think!


	6. Repetition

**Repetition**

The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over. In all my time as a lawyer, the only time I cried was when it was truly was all over for me. My leading lady had been killed and I hadn't been able to save her. Her little sister had been in trouble and I hadn't been able to save her either. I failed the first time, and I failed again, and I failed again. And it was because of one person. Dahlia Hawthorne.

It started off when Mia was just a rookie. Her first case had been to defend a simple man who had been taken in by the devil. He had been taken in by her innocent smile, her cute looks, her naïve aura. But it was all a trick. All a lie. She convinced him to do her bidding. Steal her father's money so they could run away together. She betrayed him and set him up to take the fall.

Everything had been going well. Mia was winning. She was uncovering the truth that Dahlia had wanted to keep hidden. She would have succeeded but that man was too devoted to the innocent angel that he thought Dahlia was. He couldn't believe that she was evil, that she had planned from the beginning to set him up. He killed himself in the Courtroom. And I failed to help Mia save him.

After that I confronted Dahlia. I wanted the truth. I needed it. I needed to make it up to Mia, make sure that devil didn't get away. I didn't notice when she slipped something into my coffee. I didn't notice when I took a sip. I only noticed when the world was dark and my veins were on fire.

When I finally awoke from unconsciousness, I was told that Dahlia had been captured. And Mia… she had been killed a couple years ago by a man thirsty for revenge. And I failed to help her.

I vowed that I wouldn't fail a third time. She still had her precious little sister, whom she loved so much. I would protect her with all that I had.

And so the time came that she need my help. Her life was in danger and it was up to me to help her. I contacted people who I knew would help me and a plan was formed. The person we were after was the devil herself, come back to take revenge against Mia. She had come back, from the dead. I didn't know how and I didn't need to. I just knew that she needed to go. So the plan was carried out. And I failed to save Maya.

He had been the one who had come to Maya's rescue. That Trite man. I had been so set on saving her myself, of making up my sins to Mia, that I failed to do what was most important.

The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over. In all my time as a lawyer, the only time I cried was when it was truly was all over for me. My leading lady had been killed and hadn't been able to save her. Her little sister had been in trouble and I hadn't been able to save her either. I failed the first time, and I failed again, and I failed again. And it was because of one person. Dahlia Hawthorne.

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** For this one, we had to write a piece that had the same opening and closing paragraph, along with a general theme of repetitiveness. I thought Godot would be a good character to write that kinda thing on and I actually think it turned out pretty well.

Once again, let me know what you think. Next week will be the last piece, see you then!


	7. Function Words

**Function Words**

Nick looked around the restaurant, feeling out of place. It definitely wasn't the type of place he usually visited. He was more used to fast food places or diners. A band played soft jazz in the corner and the other patrons were quietly talking. There was also the occasional 'clink' of someone eating. He was lucky he was still wearing his suit.

"Congratulations on winning your case, Wright," said Edgeworth. He picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck.

"It was nothing," he said. "You put up a good fight."

Edgeworth smiled. "I should think that it was very impressive. Especially considering that the last time you faced me in court was over eight years ago."

"That's a pretty long time. Still, I had a lot of help from Apollo."

Edgeworth nodded.

Now that Nick was thinking about, that was the last time he had faced Edgeworth in court. It had been the case with Dahlia, where Iris was accused. That case had been rough for him. Seeing Dahlia again had brought back all kinds of memories, both good and bad.

"By the way, how's your daughter?" Edgeworth asked.

"Trucy's fine. She says she's been working hard at school but I have a feeling she's been more focusing on practising her magic tricks instead," Nick said, drinking some of his water. "That's fine, I suppose. As long as she's passing everything at school."

"Indeed. I believe the last time I visited she asked me to come to one of her shows. I haven't been able to find the time."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. She'd be thrilled if you actually came along but you don't have to drop everything."

Nick's 16 year old daughter was very fond of Edgeworth. She was always showing him whatever magic trick she had just perfected or her latest test result. It was nice and he enjoyed seeing his daughter and Edgeworth get along so well.

"And how is Pearls and Maya?" Edgeworth asked, drinking some more of his wine. "Still training, I presume."

"Yeah, they're working hard. I haven't seen either of them since the last they came down though. Maya still calls every so often to check in."

"That's good. It's been a while since I've seen them as well."

Nick and Edgeworth talked for a while more until the waiter came and delivered their meal. Nick dug straight in and had to forcibly stop himself from moaning out loud at how delicious it all was. It was better than anything he had ever had in his life and he knew that there was a chance he would never have anything this good again.

"Thank you so much for this," Nick said after swallowing a particularly large mouthful. "Really. The food is amazing."

"It's my pleasure, Wright," Edgeworth said. He took a bite of his meal before continuing, "Consider it a gift."

"For what?" Nick said, his mouth full of food.

"For getting your badge back. What happened eight years ago was a travesty and now, it's finally all behind us."

Nick felt his face heat up. He didn't like to think about what had happened back then, about the mistake he had made, but Edgeworth was right. It was over.

"Yeah," Nick said, finally slowing down his eating pace. He smiled and continued, "But I have a lot of work to do, now that I'm back. I have to mentor both Apollo and Athena and defend people who've been wrongly accused. I have to put more effort into raising Trucy. And then of course there's you."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything.

"I have to repay you for everything you did for me. Getting my badge back wouldn't have been nearly as easy if it weren't you."

Edgeworth smirked. "It helps if you know people in the right places. However, Wright, I won't accept any form of repayment from you. Your thanks is enough."

Nick smiled. "You really are a great friend, Edgeworth."

* * *

 **Slytherin - Fanatic 911:** Welp, this is the last piece we had to write for my class. This week's theme was 'Function Words'. Basically we had to write a scene with people who were in different social states (eg. high class vs low class) and show their difference through pronoun use, concrete vs abstract language etc. If you want to learn more, I'm sure Google will help.

I had fun writing this scene between Edgeworth and Nick because, as I think I said before, they have a great chemistry and you can see that both in and out of court.

Anywho, thanks for sticking around and reading each of these scenes. It's different to what I've written before but I had a lot of fun doing these. Maybe I'll do something similar again? For the moment, thanks for reading!


End file.
